Willson walks off the field after practice at Seahawks training camp on Friday, July 25, 2014.

Willson walks off the field after practice at Seahawks training camp on Friday, July 25, 2014.

Photo: Associated Press

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Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson congratulates Willson on a catch at practice during Seahawks training camp on Saturday, July 26, 2014.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson congratulates Willson on a catch at practice during Seahawks training camp on Saturday, July 26, 2014.

Photo: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press

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Seahawks tight end Cooper Helfet stands on the field at a minicamp practice on Tuesday, June 17, 2014.

Seahawks tight end Cooper Helfet stands on the field at a minicamp practice on Tuesday, June 17, 2014.

Photo: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press

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Helfet tosses the ball aside at a Seahawks minicamp practice on Saturday, May 17, 2014.

Helfet tosses the ball aside at a Seahawks minicamp practice on Saturday, May 17, 2014.

Photo: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press

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Seahawks tight end RaShaun Allen runs with the ball during a rookie minicamp on May 17, 2014.

Seahawks tight end RaShaun Allen runs with the ball during a rookie minicamp on May 17, 2014.

Photo: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images

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Allen reaches for the ball at practice during Seahawks training camp on Sunday, July 27, 2014.

Allen reaches for the ball at practice during Seahawks training camp on Sunday, July 27, 2014.

Photo: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press

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Sehawks tight end Morrell Presley attempts a catch over safety Markus Smith during rookie minicamp on May 17, 2014.

Sehawks tight end Morrell Presley attempts a catch over safety Markus Smith during rookie minicamp on May 17, 2014.

Photo: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images

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Seattle Seahawks 2014 position preview: Tight ends

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Zach Miller is only 28, but he’s about as “old school” as you get.

The seven-year NFL vet is a throwback tight end, a block-first bruiser at a position that’s transitioning toward fleet-footed pass-catchers like New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham.

When he entered the league out of Arizona State in 2007, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that Miller would be a blue-collar brute; he was considered prototypical pass-catching tight end prospect. And after four years in Oakland, where he averaged 56.5 catches per season, Seahawks fans likely thought they’d see similar production from the former second-round pick when he signed with Seattle in a five-year, $34 million deal in 2011.

But Miller has transitioned into a blocking end with Seattle, setting the edge for Marshawn Lynch and helping the Seahawks establish one of the most dominant ground games in the NFL over the past three seasons. His pass-catching production is certainly down from his Raiders days — Miller has averaged just 32 receptions per year in his time with Seattle — but he has remained a key player in offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s offense.

After counting $11 million against the salary cap last season, there was speculation that the Seahawks would release Miller in the offseason for some cap relief. But he reworked the last two years of his contract to stay in Seattle, taking a $5 million pay cut over the next two seasons.

Miller and top backup Luke Willson seem secure at the top of Seattle’s tight end depth chart, but beyond that, there are a lot of question marks surrounding a position in transition.

Roster locks

Zach Miller (eight season, Arizona State)

By reworking his deal and taking a heavy pay cut, Miller showed just how much he wanted to be a part of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl-defending team in 2014. His cap numbers over the next two seasons — $3.89 million in 2014 and $4 million in 2015 — take away any impetus Seattle might have for parting ways with the dependable veteran.

That’s good news for a team that may see a lot of upheaval in its offensive skill positions in the upcoming years — it’s already begun with the wide receivers, and many expect 2014 to be Lynch’s last in Seattle.

Miller is a no-nonesense guy who goes about his business, and the continuity he brings to the offense should make a positive impact.

Luke Willson (second season, Rice)

There weren’t a lot of expectations surrounding Willson when the Seahawks selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft. But a season-ending injury to Anthony McCoy in the spring, combined with Willson’s impressive showing in training camp and the preseason, earned him a spot as the top reserve behind Miller last season.

Willson arguably contributed more than any other 2013 Seahawks draft pick (his only real competition was offensive lineman Michael Bowie), catching 20 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown. He isn’t the blocker that Miller is yet, but the 6-foot-5, 252-pound athlete showed enough to earn rave reviews from Bevell and head coach Pete Carroll at the end of last season.

On the bubble

Cooper Helfet (third season, Duke)

With McCoy out for a second season in as many years — with a similar Achilles injury in the other leg — Helfet is the odds-on favorite to win Seattle’s third tight end spot. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder spent last season on the practice squad and impressed in training camp this summer, earning praise from Pete Carroll for the way he has attacked the opportunity.

The former undrafted free agent can certainly catch the ball — he racked up 77 receptions for 775 yards and five touchdowns in his final two years of college — but will need to continue to improve as a blocker to get on the field for the Seahawks.

At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds with 4.6-second speed in the 40-yard dash, Allen is the kind of developmental athlete the Seahawks take a flier on seemingly every offseason. The undrafted free agent probably won’t make the roster this season, but he’s a definite candidate for the practice squad.

Morrell Pressley (first year, California [Pa.])

A string of off-the-field incidents led Presley, a former blue-chip recruit out of Southern California, to transfer to Division II California University in Pennsylvania for his final two seasons of college football. A wide receiver/H-back hybrid, the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder has opened some eyes at camp, but it probably isn’t enough for him to catch on with the team.